Rooftop (foot chase)
A moment of tension, then the chase moves to the rooftops of the V-shaped roofs. As pursuers move down in the streets below trying to track their quarry, a lone figure takes to the rooftops in pursuit. (For Hot Pursuits)
Terrain: Close. Although there's room to manuever, there is limited space - namely, the extant of the rooftop. Leaping from roof to roof, the quarry and pursuer must be careful not to fall to their doom.
Surface: Rough. The difference in roof heights compounds the difficulty of traversing steep roofs made up of thatch, uneven wood boards, or old shingles.
Special:When using the Leap Aboard manuever, you can jump onto a horse beneath you (resolving falling damage as normal) or onto a passing flying vehicle (if you are able to jump far enough) like an airship, griffon, or flying carpet. The chase resumes either on the ground or in the sky if the pursuer finds an appropriate mode of travel. In addition, as part of the Escape manuever the quarry can attempt to increase or decrease the elevation by 10 feet.
Getting to the roof: A DC 15 Climb check and a full round action are required to get to the roof at the start of the chase. Thereafter, it requires a DC 20 Climb check and 2 rounds to get onto the roof as the chase goes higher and the streets drop lower.
On the rooftops: While on the rooftop, a character is considered to be 30-60 feet away from people on the ground in most situations. In addition, they have 50% cover from attacks on the ground. While on the rooftops, a character is considered to be balancing, and thus is flat-footed unless they have an Acrobatics, Balance, or Tumble skill of 5 or greater. Anytime you attempt to perform a manuever you must make either a Balance check or a Jump check, depending on the GM's description and decision. Typically the DC will be between 10 and 25. Failure on this check indicates you slip and fall. However, you may make a DC 15 Reflex save to stop yourself short and grab the rooftop ledge, spending a full round action to pull yourself up. In some case, you'll have to make a DC 15-25 Climb check to get back up. Otherwise, you plummet to the earth, suffering falling damage.
Obstacles:
At various points during the chase, the GM can throw an obstacle at you, including a broken shingle, death-defying gap, or a way up/down.
Broken Shingles
Some part of the roof has been deceptively repaired. Upon passing over the roof, everyone must make a DC 12 Balance check or slide down the roof. If the check fails by 5 or more, then you actually fall through the roof, falling 10 feet into the establishment beneath it. You land in an unusual environment, such as on a farrier's saddle with the paint still drying, in a pig stall, in between a cuddling couple, or right on top of a bad guy about to do some evil deed. If there are residents inside the building, you may be able to make a Bluff or Diplomacy check to convince them to go about their normal business and ignore you. The chase can then resume on the ground level.
Death-Defying Gap
Screeching to a halt, you hover over an impossibly large gap over 20 feet long. You've got no choice! Taking a couple steps back, you make the leap of your life. Make a DC 20 Jump check. If successful you reach the other side and the chase continues. If you fail the check by less than 5 you may make a DC 15 Reflex save to grab the edge; however, your grip is weak. Only a DC 22 Strength check can pull you up (if you are helped by another you may pool your Strength modifiers together to make the check). Each round the DC of the check increases by 1, until at DC 30 (8 rounds later) you slip and fall. If you fail the check by 5 or more then you fall to the earth.
Way Up/Way Down
Either you come across a way up (a ladder, rope, elevator) or a way down (fire escape, curtain, crate full of old laundry). You must make an appropriate skill check (DC 15) in order to use the way up/way down (e.g. Climb, Balance, Use Magic Device, Knowledge (architecture & engineering). If successful you may move up or down 30 feet. If you fail by less than 5, you must spend a round readying the device before trying again next round. If you fail by 5 or more, it breaks and you fall to the earth (no Reflex save).
From the SRD said:
Rooftops: Getting to a roof usually requires climbing a wall (see the Walls section), unless the character can reach a roof by jumping down from a higher window, balcony, or bridge. Flat roofs, common only in warm climates (accumulated snow can cause a flat roof to collapse), are easy to run across. Moving along the peak of a roof requires a DC 20 Balance check. Moving on an angled roof surface without changing altitude (moving parallel to the peak, in other words) requires a DC 15 Balance check. Moving up and down across the peak of a roof requires a DC 10 Balance check.
Eventually a character runs out of roof, requiring a long jump across to the next roof or down to the ground. The distance to the next closest roof is usually 1d3×5 feet horizontally, but the roof across the gap is equally likely to be 5 feet higher, 5 feet lower, or the same height. Use the guidelines in the Jump skill (a horizontal jump’s peak height is one-fourth of the horizontal distance) to determine whether a character can make a jump.
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